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A yoga trial in India found differences in mood and sleep scores

A randomized trial in Pune, India, found that adults assigned to 45 days of yoga had different mood and self-reported sleep scores from a waiting-list group, News-Medical reports. According to UA.News, the study, published in Scientific Reports, also found differences on some short-term memory tests.

The trial enrolled 139 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 who had not practiced yoga before, according to UA.News. Researchers assigned participants at random to the yoga program or a waiting list. In all, 125 people completed the study.

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The trial compared yoga with a waiting list#

UA.News reports that the university trial in Pune took place between October 2023 and January 2025. The waiting-list group received general advice to remain physically active, with a chance to take up yoga after the study.

According to UA.News, a single instructor led the standardized program, with sessions averaging 50 minutes. The routine included a warm-up, yoga postures known as asanas, breathing, meditation and guided yoga nidra relaxation. News-Medical identifies the routine as the Common Yoga Protocol.

Mood was the trial's primary measure, assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, UA.News reports. Participants also rated their sleep and took tests of short-term memory and information-processing speed.

Scores differed across several measures#

UA.News reports that, after adjustment for starting scores, the yoga group scored about four points higher on positive affect and 3.5 points lower on negative affect than the waiting-list group. Its score for sleep quality was approximately 1.2 points lower, a result indicating better self-reported sleep.

On a number-sequence test, the yoga group did better at recalling digits in their original order and received a higher overall score, UA.News reports. The groups did not differ on the reverse-order task or the symbol matching test.

According to News-Medical, scans also showed differences in how several brain networks functionally connected in the yoga group. The outlet says comparisons with earlier research are difficult because studies used different yoga styles and assessment methods. Randomized brain-imaging studies of the standardized protocol remain limited.

In separate research, Science Daily reports that Florida International University researchers analyzed 57 brain-imaging studies of adults with sleep disorders. The analysis compared conditions including insomnia and sleep apnea with disorders involving unusual events during sleep, such as sleepwalking.

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